Kochi, 24 July (H.S.):Customs officials at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) have arrested a 36-year-old passenger from Kerala after seizing nearly ₹2 crore worth of smuggled gold that had been ingeniously concealed inside a specially stitched inner garment.

The accused, identified as Jamshid Edekkandi Poyil, a native of Kozhikode, arrived at Kochi from Abu Dhabi on board IndiGo flight 6E 1404 on Thursday morning. Acting on specific intelligence and behavioural suspicion, officers of the Cochin Airport Customs Commissionerate intercepted him for a detailed inspection immediately after his arrival.

During the examination, officials discovered that the passenger was wearing a specially stitched brief designed to conceal gold in paste form. The concealed material was carefully removed and sent to the Customs Chemical Laboratory for processing and extraction.

Laboratory analysis confirmed that the paste contained 1,246.23 grams of 24-carat gold. In addition to the concealed gold paste, Customs officers also recovered two 24-carat gold chains weighing a combined 100.21 grams from the passenger.

The total quantity of gold seized was valued at ₹1,97,22,653, making it one of the significant gold smuggling detections at the airport in recent weeks.

Following the seizure, Jamshid was arrested under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act. Officials said the passenger is being questioned to determine the origin of the gold, the intended recipients in India, and whether he was acting on behalf of an organised gold smuggling syndicate.

Customs authorities have launched a detailed investigation to trace the network behind the attempted smuggling and to identify any accomplices involved in transporting or receiving the contraband.

Officials said surveillance has been intensified at Kochi airport as gold smuggling syndicates continue to adopt increasingly sophisticated methods to evade detection. The investigation is continuing, and further legal action will be taken based on the findings.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman